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Sequim Museum & Arts

1976 establishments in Washington (state)Art museums and galleries in Washington (state)Museums established in 1976Museums in Clallam County, WashingtonNatural history museums in Washington (state)
Paleontology in Washington (state)Washington (state) building and structure stubsWestern United States museum stubs
Manis Mastodon NRHP 78002736 Clallam County, WA
Manis Mastodon NRHP 78002736 Clallam County, WA

The Sequim Museum & Arts, located in downtown Sequim, Washington, is a free-admission local history museum. Founded in 1976, the museum is home to the Manis Mastodon tusks and bones which were found at an early human encampment located on the present day Manis Farm, famous as one of the first-known contact between humans with a mastodon 13,000 years ago.The Manis Mastodon exhibit features a mastodon mural mounted with the remaining mastodon bones, related artifacts, and a video about the archaeological digs. Additionally, the museum is home to many local and photographs from the 19th century which showcase the prosperous dairy industry. Models of the Mosquito Fleet, along with records of the Dungeness Wharf, Washington Harbor, and Port Williams serve as reminders of the early primary transportation to the region. The Cowan Family Collection is a rotating exhibit of natural history artifacts. The Judith McInnes Tozzer Gallery features exhibits from local artists and changes often. The Boys in the Boat exhibit about Joe Rantz and the gold medalist rowing team of the 1936 Olympics. Also on display are vintage vehicles and tractors, a dairy parlor, a logging display, as well as a Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe exhibit, which as of 10/2019 it is still under construction. The museum's first exhibit building was opened May 10, 1979, at 175 W. Cedar Street where the former Post Office was. In 1992 merged with Peninsula Cultural Arts Center to become the Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. Then in 1995 the museum acquired the Dungeness School. On July 6, 2019, the current exhibit building opened. In 2019 the museum changed its name to the Sequim Museum & ArtsThe Exhibit Center is located at 544 N. Sequim Ave. in Sequim. The museum administrative offices are located at the DeWitt Building, 544 N. Sequim Ave. The DeWitt Building also houses the Whatton Library for Historical Research, the Vollenweider Archives, the Robert Cooper Photography Studio, and the John & Inez Cowan Collection. The Dungeness School is located at 2781 Towne Rd. The Sequim Museum operates and maintains the historic Dungeness School (available for rentals), Captain John Morris House and Washington Harbor Schoolhouse. The museum is a 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organization, supported by membership fees, donations, bequests, and grants. It does not receive any county or municipal funding.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Sequim Museum & Arts (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

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Washington, United States
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Manis Mastodon NRHP 78002736 Clallam County, WA
Manis Mastodon NRHP 78002736 Clallam County, WA
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Sequim, Washington
Sequim, Washington

Sequim ( SKWIM) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains. The 2020 census counted a population of 8,018, with an estimated population in 2021 of 8,241. Sequim lies within the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and receives, on average, less than 16 inches (410 mm) of rain per year – about the same as Los Angeles, California – giving rise to the region's local nickname of Sunny Sequim. However, the city is relatively close to some of the wettest temperate rainforests of the contiguous United States. This climate anomaly is sometimes called the "Blue Hole of Sequim". Fogs and cool breezes from the Juan de Fuca Strait make Sequim's climate more humid than would be expected from the low average rate of annual precipitation. Some places have surprisingly luxuriant forests, dominated by Douglas-fir and western red cedar. Other trees growing in the area include black cottonwood, red alder, bigleaf maple, Pacific madrone, lodgepole pine and Garry oak, all of which can grow to a significant size. Historically, much of the area was an open, oak-studded prairie, supported by somewhat excessively-drained gravelly and sandy loam soil; agriculture and development of the Dungeness valley have changed this ecosystem. Most soils under Sequim have been placed in a series that is named after the city. This "Sequim series" is one of the few Mollisols in western Washington and its high base saturation, a characteristic of the Mollisol order, is attributed to the minimal leaching of bases caused by low annual rainfall.The city and the surrounding area are particularly known for the commercial cultivation of lavender, supported by the unique climate. It makes Sequim the "Lavender Capital of North America", rivaled only in France. The area is also known for its Dungeness crab. Sequim is pronounced as one syllable, with the e elided: "skwim". The name developed from the Klallam language.

Dungeness School
Dungeness School

The Dungeness School is a historical schoolhouse building located at 657 Towne Road in Dungeness, Washington. The idea for the school was formed in 1892 by the settlers of the Dungeness area. On May 10, 1892 a meeting was held in which settlers created a bond for land and a two-story school house. In August 1892, the Dungeness Beacon reported that the contract for construction was awarded to Hall and Duncan for $1,673. The school house opened on February 27, 1893. The school originally had 73 students from the ages of 5 to 20. The school had one teacher who lived on the second floor of the school. Classes were large and books and supplies not easy to get. School Board minutes of April 8, 1895, show a motion was passed to buy the school a bottle of ink.In 1955, the Dungeness and Sequim School Districts were consolidated, and the old Dungeness School was closed. In 1967 the Dungeness Community Club purchased the land and the building from the Sequim School District. The Dungeness School was designated a Washington State Historical Site in 1971. On May 19, 1988, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1995, faced with rising maintenance costs, the schoolhouse was donated to the local museum and is now operated as a division of the Sequim Museum & Arts.The original building was 36 feet by 48 feet, and then in 1921 a second wing was constructed. A USGS datum point was placed on the southeast corner of the building in 1929. In 2008 the Schoolhouse Belfry along with the original school bell was restored.